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Rant

Missing Microsoft Software Installers

Mar 30, 2018 5:15PM PDT

I went to back up all of the software that I keep on a hard drive on my computer the other day, only to discover that all of the installation files for Microsoft products (notably Office 2010) were gone. I have excellent reason to suspect that Microsoft was tampering with my data files, which they have no business looking at or altering in any way.

I paid a lot of money for Office 2010, and I use it every day. If I had not noticed that the installer was gone, I might have wound up with no copies of it when it came time to do a clean install. Needless to say, I am angry. Just who do they think they are?

My other software was fine. Only Microsoft products were affected. Fortunately, I did have a backup that I could get the files from.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Discussion is locked

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I'll disagree.
Mar 30, 2018 5:59PM PDT

I even have Office 2000 and the installer is not on my W7 to W10 machines. It's in the install media.

The change to how things install happened in 1995. Gone are the days where you could copy an app from machine to machine.

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How can you disagree?
Mar 30, 2018 10:49PM PDT

They were there. Now they are not. It has nothing to do with copying an app from machine to machine. I legally own a license for Office 2010-- a full license that allows me to install it on 2 machines for my own use. The installation files are downloaded. Not everyone buys their software with physical media. I have never moved the program from one machine to the other. It is right here, where it has always been, and the downloaded file I installed it from was right here, on one of my data drives. In fact, it was in several places, along with some other Microsoft programs that I downloaded. Now they are gone. There is nothing to disagree with. If you can find those files on my machine, then you can disagree. Since the only installation files that are missing are all Microsoft products, I have every reason to believe that Microsoft removed them without authorization.

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Because we have over 100 machines at the office
Mar 31, 2018 9:02AM PDT

And around this for too long.

You say you downloaded these apps so where is the download folder you keep them in? Also, PCs are not where we store things we can't lose. That's on backups. There are folk that don't have backups and stories like yours (besides the technical areas) happen.

I was working with your top post as-is. If you did something other than install Office I won't know that. So again, if I install Office, then the installer is not on that PC. It never has been.

Post was last edited on March 31, 2018 11:07 AM PDT

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What has that got to do with it?
Mar 31, 2018 10:21AM PDT

You are calling me a liar. You have no right to do that. I do not have to prove that the files were there and then they disappeared. That is what happened. I certainly know where the files on my computer are.

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No, I wrote that you didn't tell all in the top post.
Mar 31, 2018 11:09AM PDT

Later you added you downloaded these apps. The installer for downloaded apps are usually in the temp folders and will eventually be cleaned off.

I see nothing nefarious going on here.

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(NT) Go back and read it.
Mar 31, 2018 11:34AM PDT
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Done.
Mar 31, 2018 11:40AM PDT

I don't see where you wrote exactly how you copied the installers to the HDD.

We know that folk do get digital downloads and these land in TEMP folders. Folk explode when these are cleaned up by the OS or other reasons.

TEMP is just that. Not a place to store things. Really upsets folk.

I'll take it you are getting the reinforcing idea that keeping stuff on your PC is just not reliable enough. Some have to lose it all many times to learn this lesson. Some get really irate over it.

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The only thing I can recall is that there were some reported
Mar 31, 2018 2:50AM PDT

problems with MS Office licensing when a PC was "upgraded" from Windows 7 or later. I know it occurred with MAK/Volume licensed versions rather than retail. I'd think that, if you downloaded installation file, your version preceded Windows 10 and the transition could be involved in creating your problem. I'd also think that a downloaded installation file would, if you used defaults, go to the download folder. The other possibility is that it could have ended up in your Windows.old folder. By any chance did you check there?..assuming you didn't delete it.

Frankly, I don't have Win10 myself but have had some hateful experiences as a volunteer in a K-8 school in which 20-25 PCs all with MAK licensed versions of Windows and Office were upgraded on-line to Windows 10. Stuff went "POOF", calls to MS had to be made and proof of licensing had to be provided.

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No, this happened well after the upgrade.
Mar 31, 2018 10:26AM PDT

I do not use the defaults. The file was not on the C drive. It was on one of my data drives. The data drives are not any of Microsoft's business, since the operating system is not located there. In fact, these files are not even located on the same drive that my downloads go to. I move them after I download them. I place them in a folder that is specifically for downloaded programs, along with my electronic receipts and any installation information. My receipts and the installation information are still right there. Only the installation file is gone.

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Ok. That explains it
Mar 31, 2018 12:04PM PDT

If you were eventually successful in recovering the original file from a backup, that's all that matters. All I was offering is an alternate location you might look if your download went where MS would put it by default and suggest it could be in the MS old folder. Otherwise, the remedy would be to call them and plead your case. That's a pain but things could be worse. I fought like crazy at the school I mentioned to keep them from letting Win10 take over all of their PCs but it happened anyway. Some folks have had few or no issues but, for this place, the "upgrade" has been of no benefit and has caused one headache after another and stories like yours aren't all that uncommon. The best one can do is make such things a learning experience but I know that's not much solace.

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Can none of you read?
Mar 31, 2018 12:19PM PDT

I did not ask for an explanation. I already know what happened. I asked if this has happened to anyone else.

Look up the word "rant."

I am not being mean. I am just wondering if anyone will bother to read what I wrote.

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You're obviously angry
Mar 31, 2018 12:43PM PDT

but I cannot appreciate your lecture any more than you can appreciate one that it appears you have received. It didn't come from me. FWIW, I was actually trying to show a little bit of sympathy. Maybe you could suggest that posts marked as being rants should be blocked from responses. Also know that it's an unfortunate fact of life that humans often respond in kind when someone acts critical of them. That just leads to more anger by everyone rather than being of help. We can all look at this when it happens and learn from it. I regret that you felt offended by what I offered.

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Sorry, no.
Mar 31, 2018 1:26PM PDT

I've never seen this happen.

As for Office 2010, I have the CD. Can't be deleted from as apparently happened with you, either by Microsoft or some other person or program or company.
Moreover, I've got an .iso-file both of Office XP and Office 2010 on a data disc (not offline, just my e:-drive), and nothing ever happened to them. I just checked, and they are still there.

Luckily, you had a backup, so nothing is really lost.

And a tip for the future: set stuff like that (you want to keep it and will never change it) to read-only. Quite a good protection against anything except disk failures and formats. For those you have a backup.

Post was last edited on April 1, 2018 1:49 AM PDT

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I do not understand...
Mar 31, 2018 12:47PM PDT

...how the fact that Microsoft is surreptitiously going through the personal files of people and doing as they please with them is NOT a matter of concern.

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I've heard that time and time again.
Mar 31, 2018 1:32PM PDT

I take it you want no explanations. You're angry. Look at Kees and how he safeguards his stuff. Free advice is just that.